Various types of bulk materials are shipped, stored, and otherwise processed and distributed in the form of bales. For example, recyclable materials, such as paper, plastic and metal are formed into bales for easier handling. Bulk material such as cotton might also be processed into compressed bales. Formed bales are easier and more efficient to handle than loose bulk material. Furthermore, bales are more organized and take up less storage or shipping space than loose material.
In a baling process, the loose material is collected and formed into a bale. After the bales of material are formed into the proper shape, they are usually wrapped or otherwise fitted with a structure which will keep them in the desired bale shape. For example, it is generally known to wrap bales of compressible material with wire or some other elongated binding device to keep the bales in their form for shipping and storage. Wire is preferable because of its strength, low cost, and the ease with which it is handled.
One method of forming a bale directs the compressible material into an automatic baler where it is pressed into a bale by a ram and then moved by the ram through the baler. At a certain position along the baling path, the bale is tied or bound together with wire. More specifically, a tieing system is used with the baler and guides a continuous wire strand around the bale through a wire-guide track to surround the bale as it progresses through the baler. The wire is overlapped when it completely surrounds the bale. The tieing system engages the bale and the overlapped wire and ties the wire around the bale.
Pneumatic, hydraulic, or electric wire-tieing machines having means for gripping and twisting two wires, or opposite ends of the same wire, together are well-known. In these and similar systems, a knotter assembly associated with the tieing system engages the overlapped wire and twists together the overlapped ends of the wire strands to secure the wire in place around the bale. The knotter assembly utilizes a slotted wire-twister pinion having a central pinion gear. Separate bearing elements and bushings are mounted for supporting and protecting the gear, and wire guides, wire-guide blocks, fingers, cutters, and other parts must be separately installed for knotting and cutting the wire. Such parts are subject to wear and breakage and must be replaced from time to time.
In addition, different sizes of these parts may be required for processing wires of different gauge, so that, again, the parts must be changed. Such changes of parts may require considerable down time whereby the efficiency in the overall wire-tieing operation is reduced. As a result, baling facilities often use the heaviest wire that will be needed for a given manufacturing period on all applications, regardless of whether the application could be done with a lighter wire. Thus, the lack of the ability, in conventional knotter assemblies, to quickly change out the parts discussed above leads to inefficiencies, high wire costs, and the like.